Effax Leather Balm, 500ml

I love this stuff, been using it for decades on my horse tack and leather boots. No gimmicks, no bizarre edible ingredients, no suave label, just a great, proven product that gives consistent high-quality results. It conditions and absorbs well without leaving a residue or film. The smell is light and pleasant. After using it leather feels nourished without being mealy, weak, oily, or wet even if you over-apply it. It doesnt excessively darken leather and wont discolor leather if the application isnt perfectly even. Its ideal for thick leather but fine for thin leather if you use a light coat, and will last a long time. Like most conditioners, dont use it on suede or rough-out. It seems like only horse-people know about this stuff, which is surprising because I see more and more saddle products being used on all types of other leather goods, and this works better than 95% of them - trust me, Ive tried them all before coming back to this old standby. Maybe people dont use it because its not made with honey or milk or guava fruit or dragonfly farts, and doesnt have a fancy label? (The label is so very..... GERMAN isnt it? lol) Though I do love to follow conditioning with a beeswax protectant, like Obenhaufs which is an excellent product. I apply this stuff with my hands, but a sponge or a rag is fine. Its not so hard or thick you need your hands to melt it first, but itll absorb a little better/faster and youll lose a lot of product to rags and sponges which soak up the conditioner. For extremely dry leather (especially old saddle flaps), apply a generous coat and then gently bend/roll the leather back and forth, in and out - without forcing the leather too much (I cracked a brittle saddle-flap that way once). Thatll separates the fibers and pull the conditioner in. Keep applying and flexing until you have the suppleness you want, then apply a good coat and let it sit overnight. Wipe off any excess the next day and let it sit a few more hours, therell be no film or residue. Ive made dry, brittle, cardboard-like leather supple and new-looking with that method. Also works for breaking in a new saddle fast, if you prefer not to ride in a stiff, slick saddle until it decides to soften up, if it ever does. Absolutely love this stuff, its a classic and far superior to most of whats out there these days.

I like this leather balm. I got it to condition leather dog leashes. The smell is typically of beeswax. If you do not like that smell, you will not like the smell of this. However, I will mention that the main drawback is that it leaves a little bit of a sticky feel in the hand that takes a few uses before it goes away. It also doesn’t leather leather very shiny and has a more matte finish.

My saddle manufacturer recommends using this product only, so I bought it. My saddle comes out beautiful every time. The balm is thick but spreads easily. Super high quality and will take good care of your expensive leather items.

Great product, saddle looks like new.